Nightmares
by imaginedragons4eva
Summary: When Sodapop wakes up to Ponyboy having an awful nightmare, worse than usual, how will Sodapop and Darry react? How will they cope with this situation? Rated T for language!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: As much as I wanna own the Outsiders, I don't. It all belongs to S.E. Hinton. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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Sodapop woke once again to the sound of Ponyboy's screams. He quickly sat up and tried to wake his brother. "Pony," he whispered. Ponyboy continued to thrash around on the bed and wouldn't wake up. Soda tried again. "Ponyboy!" he yelled. Moments later, Darry entered the room. His usually neat hair was wild, sticking up every which way, and was wearing only a pair of sweats. He rushed to the side of the bed and shook Ponyboy.

"Ponyboy, please wake up," Darry pleaded. Ponyboy sat up straight in the bed, gasping for air. Ponyboy curled into a ball and was shivering something fierce. Sodapop looked at Darry, concern written all over his face. Ponyboy usually woke up from his nightmares right away, and never once has he curled up into a ball right after he was woken.

"Darry, is something wrong with Pony? Is he gonna be alright?" Sodapop asked. Darry glanced at Ponyboy once more. He ruffled Soda's hair and said, "I don't know, little buddy. I just don't know." They covered Ponyboy up with blankets and Soda laid down with him. He threw his arm around Ponyboy's shivering form and fell into a restless sleep.

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The next morning, Soda woke to find that Ponyboy was no longer in bed. Soda rubbed his face, trying the drive the sleepiness away. He slowly made his way to the kitchen to find Darry and Ponyboy sitting at the table, eating breakfast. He sat down at his place and began eating his breakfast, not tasting one bit of it. He still remembered the events of last night and it had left him scared.

What could have caused Ponyboy to curl up in a ball and not respond to his brothers? Was his nightmare that awful that he hadn't wanted to talk to anyone? He looked across the table at his baby brother (although he knew very well that Pony wasn't a baby anymore) and saw dark bags under his eyes. So he had stayed awake the remainder of the night.

The day went by fast and night slowly approached. At dinner that night, Soda couldn't stay still. Both his brothers noticed, but Pony didn't seem to think anything of it. Finally Darry couldn't stand it anymore and sent Pony to his room to finish his homework. He kept looking between Darry and Soda for a minute or so. Eventually he shrugged and made his way to his room. When Darry was sure that Pony wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, he addressed Soda.

"Okay Soda, spill." Soda gave Darry a look that said, _What are you talking about?_ Darry gave him an exasperated look and said, "Sodapop Patrick Curtis. Don't you give me that look. I know somethin' is botherin' ya. And I wanna know what the hell is botherin' you, so spill." Was he that obvious? He didn't think so. He looked up at Darry and sighed. Well there was no lying to Darry. Darry _always_ knew when someone was lying. Just like he could tell when Dallas was lying when he said he didn't know where Johnny and Pony where when they ran after Johnny wasted that Soc.

Soda felt a stab of pain in his heart. Johnny and Dally. Thinking of them brought tears to Soda's eyes. He quickly blinked them away but not fast enough. Darry caught sight of them and his hard, emotionless face softened. "Soda," he whispered, "what's wrong?" Tears spilled onto Soda's cheeks and he quickly wiped them away.

"I'm worried about Ponyboy, Darry. What happened last night has never happened. He's always woken up right after we shake him awake. And he's never curled up in a ball. He's always talked to us about his nightmares, but this time he didn't. Oh Darry. I'm worried about my baby brother." Darry came around the table and pulled Soda into a hug.

"I know, little buddy. But we gotta be strong for him. Don't worry, Pepsi-Cola. We'll figure something out," Darry said. Soda nodded. Soda headed to his room and changed. He lay down with Pony and put his arm around Ponyboy. He believed Darry. Darry always knew what to do and he was always right. As long as they had Darry, they would always be fine.

**A/N: So….how was it? You like? Hated it? Well, guess I'll have to wait and see. So this was originally gonna be a one-shot but as I finished writing this, I felt like it wasn't finished and I could write more to it. I already have a pretty good idea where this story is gonna go, but that depends on you guys. If you want me to add more to it, then I will. So my lovelies, what will it be? Should I add more to this story or was this really that shitty? If you guys want me to continue, I promise to make the chapters longer. Please drop a review and tell me what you thought about this story and if I should add more to it or just PM me. Til then…**

**STAY GOLD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders, but still Sodapop and Ponyboy are mine! **

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Welcome back:) as you've figured out, no doubt, this is chapter two of **_**Nightmares**_**. I'ma dedicate this chapter to **_**xoashleylynn**_**. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Now I'ma shut my trap and let you read the chapter. Enjoy!**

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Ponyboy woke to what he thought, was the world shaking. He quickly sat up and saw a very panicked Sodapop desperately trying to shake him awake. "Ponyboy!" Soda yelled. Ponyboy tried to get out of his grip and managed to do so before Soda could give him a major headache. "What's with all the yellin', huh? Some people _are_ trying to sleep, Soda." Ponyboy complained. Sodapop rolled his eyes.

"_Right_. Which is why you were thrashing around in your sleep again, innit? People totally can sleep while they have nightmares," Sodapop said, sarcastically. Ponyboy scratched his head, confused. Thrashing around? Nightmares? He didn't remember having a nightmare just seconds ago. In fact, he didn't remember anything. He knew that once in a while he would get nightmares and not remember them, but usually if he had a nightmare he would wake up before it got too bad and he'd tell Soda. Or the other way around.

"What are you talkin' about? I wasn't havin' no nightmare," Ponyboy claimed. Just then Darry burst in, running as fast as he could. "Is Ponyboy alright?" Darry asked. Then he saw that Pony was awake and rushed to his side. He proceeded to stroke Ponyboy's hair, but he pushed away Darry's hand, annoyed. "Okay, what the hell is going on? You guys have been treating me like a baby these past few days. And I've heard y'all mumbling something about me having terrible nightmares and what not. So which one of ya is gonna tell me what you're talking about, huh?"

Darry and Soda both exchanged a glance and Darry answered. "It can wait til tomorrow, Ponyboy. Just try to get some rest til then." He ruffled both Soda's and Pony's hair and left. Pony stared at the spot where Darry had been moments ago, in disbelief. _Til tomorrow,_he thought, _Darry is crazy if he thinks I can wait til then. _Ponyboy turned to Sodapop and asked him the same thing he had minutes ago. Soda's only response was a shrug, before laying down on the bed once more to sleep.

Ponyboy sighed in exasperation. Tomorrow was a hell of a long time away. For the rest of the night, he kept tossing and turning and didn't sleep at all.

When morning finally came, Pony practically jumped up from the bed and headed to the shower. While he was getting ready, Darry had called the doctor's office and set up an appointment for that day. Darry hung up just as Ponyboy came out of his room, dressed up and ready for school. Ponyboy eyed the phone suspiciously. "Who were you calling?" Darry opened his mouth to say something, but the phone rang just then. He quickly picked it up, thankful for the excuse of not having to lie to Pony.

Ponyboy watched as Darry nodded a couple times and hung up the phone. He walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Sodapop, Steve called in sick. He said you'll have to cover his shift. Meaning you'll come home later than usual." Pony heard a string of curses leave Soda's mouth that even he was surprised to hear. Especially Darry. His eyes widened in shock and it quickly changed to anger.

"Watch your mouth, little buddy, or I'ma do somethin' about it and you won't like it one bit!" Darry threatened. Ponyboy gulped. Glory, was he glad it wasn't him that Darry had threatened. Soon all three Curtis brothers were crowded around the table, wolfing down their breakfast.

They all jumped when the screen door slammed and Two-Bit waltzed in. He had that ridiculous grin plastered on his face. "How are y'all this fine morning?" His words were slurred and he was swaying on his feet. He was obviously drunk. Sodapop buried his face in his hands and groaned real loud. "Damn it, Two-Bit! How're you supposed to walk Pony home from school as drunk as you are? They'll kick ya outta there faster than Dally got kicked out of the Daily Double when he messed around with all those broads he tried to pick up!"

Two-Bit found something in that statement very amusing and burst into laughter. When it was time to go, Ponyboy followed Darry out to the truck and got in. But before Darry got in, he pulled Soda aside and whispered something to him. The young greaser nodded his head and got into Two-Bit's truck. Ponyboy wondered how on earth Two-Bit had managed to find his way to their house, drunk. He also wondered how Two-Bit was gonna find his way from their house to the DX. Ponyboy gave up trying to find an answer. He knew he would never find the answer to those questions. When he got to school he got a dreadful feeling something was gonna happen and he wasn't gonna like it at all.

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Right in the middle of third period, the teacher got a call. He nodded and put down the phone. "Ponyboy Curtis, you're needed in the office," the teacher announced. Ponyboy flushed. Why did the teacher have to make him the center is attention? He hated being the center of attention. He could feel his classmates eyes on his back. As he gathered his stuff he mumbled, "Yell it a little louder. I don't think Vietnam heard you." Some of his classmates around him heard what he said and laughed. The teacher turned around and asked, "Is something funny?" The kids around Ponyboy shook their heads and continued their work.

Pony headed to the office and that dreadful feeling from earlier came back. His stomach was doing backflips and he was feeling dizzy. When he reached the office, he was surprised to find Darry sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, waiting for him. He spotted Ponyboy and lead him outside to the truck. As they drove wherever they were going, Ponyboy began to feel antsy. He took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag from it and breathed out. He began to squirm in his seat and his mood was rubbing off on Darry. He too was squirming in his seat.

Pony couldn't stand it anymore. He just had to ask and so he did. "Darry, where are we going?" Darry glanced at him once, twice, thrice and he finally answered, "We're going with the doctor." Ponyboy was confused. He wasn't sick and neither was Darry, so why were they going with the doctor? Pony turned to Darry and said, "Darry, am I sick?"

Darry sighed. "I sure hope not buddy." Half an hour later, they arrived to their destination. They went inside and Ponyboy sat down while Darry signed in. Twenty minutes after that, they were called in. When they entered the room, the doc did the usual things. He weighed and measured Pony and checked his blood pressure, you know, the works. The doctor left the room for a few minutes, then came back and declared nothing was wrong with Ponyboy. "Darrell, would you step out with me for a moment?" Ponyboy could sense something was indeed wrong with him but the doctor didn't want to scare him. Pony would just have to wait to know the answer.

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Darry closed the door behind him and turned to the doctor. The doctor clasped his hands in front of him and said, "All our tests show there is nothing wrong with Ponyboy, but these nightmares that you described are not normal. Unfortunately, i cannot prescribe anything more than some sleeping pills to help him sleep, and I would advise he play some sort of sport and keep him preoccupied with homework and such." Darry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He turned to the doctor and asked, " Are you saying that it's all in his head?" The doctor looked back and nodded. " Have a good day, Mr. Curtis." Darry stayed out there for a few minutes, staring at the wall. The doctor had just told him that his baby brother may very well be crazy or that something is wrong with his mind. Darry went back inside to get Ponyboy and he asked what was wrong. Darry shook his head. " Nothing is wrong." _At least I hope not, _Darry thought. And with that they went home.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If there were any weird mistakes in there please excuse them, my computer was being fucking retarded. Also, if any of the characters are OOC (which I'm sure they are) please excuse any OOCness. This is only my second fanfiction, guys. But I'll try and fix that as much as I can. Like always please read and review. They always keep me going til next time...**

**STAY GOLD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. That pleasure belongs to S.E. Hinton**

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter:) and believe me, I'm trying to make these chapters long and trying to not make the characters OOC, now I'ma shut my mouth and let you guys read… Enjoy!**

_Ponyboy felt hands grab his shoulders and push him underwater. He looked up and saw Bob Sheldon above him, grinning and looking like a psycho. Ponyboy stuggled to get his head above water. His lungs ached and screamed for air. At the last second, when it seemed his lungs would give up, his head broke the surface and he sputtered and coughed. When he regained his breath, he looked up, only to see that Johnny Cade had taken Bob's place. Pony's breath hitched and was relieved to see his best friend. But when he looked into Johnny's eyes, he saw that they were black holes. Empty. Void of any emotions. Pony was confused. "Johnny, are you okay? What's wrong?" Johnny's hands shot out and grabbed Ponyboy by the shoulders and shook him. "It shoulda been you. I was supposed to live. Not you. You were supposed to die. Not me!" And with that, Johnny dunked Ponyboy back into the fountain. _Why are you doing this, Johnny? _ Ponyboy thought. Just when his lungs were about to burst, Ponyboy woke with a start. _

Ponyboy was panting and was sweating something fierce. He looked to the side to see if he had woken Sodapop and was relieved to see that he hadn't. He knew Soda needed sleep. He often stayed awake these days to make sure that he was alright. Ponyboy got up and made his way to the bathroom. He washed the sweat from his face and dried off. When he looked up into the mirror, he saw something that almost made him shit his pants. Johnny stared back at him, his eyes filled with cold hatred. Ponyboy jumped back and bumped into the wall. "It shoulda been you, Pony. I wanted to live. It shoulda been you."

Ponyboy blinked and saw that Johnny was gone. He stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. He knew it was only a few minutes, but glory, did it feel longer than that. He walked back to his and Soda's room and laid back on the bed. He could feel the guilt pouring down on him again. He knew it was his fault that Johnny and Dallas were dead. If he hadn't stayed out there in the lot that night, this never woulda happened. He felt tears running down his cheeks. He tried containing the sobs, but failed to do so.

Soon, Sodapop woke to Ponyboy sobbing. Soda wrapped his arms around Ponyboy and asked him if he wanted to talk about it. A few minutes later, after Ponyboy had calmed down, he told Sodapop his dream and what he had seen in the bathroom. Sodapop stared off into space, thinking about what Darry had told him. Darry had told Sodapop that their baby brother might be crazy. Soda knew he would have to tell Darry about the incident in the bathroom, even if it proved their baby was crazy. They had to help Ponyboy and he would go to the ends of the earth if it would help cure his baby.

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The next morning, Sodapop went to find Darry. He entered his bedroom and shook him awake. Darry instantly shot up in bed and asked for Ponyboy. Sodapop laughed. "Calm down. He's alright...or as alright as one can be after last night." Darry waited for an answer. Soda sighed and explained what happened the night before. Darry got out of bed and rubbed his face. He sighed heavily and looked at Sodapop. Soda raised his hands and the look on his face said, _Don't look at me. I ain't got the answers._

Darry got dessed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. A bit later, Ponyboy came outta the shower and they all sat down to have breakfast. There was an awkward silence and Ponyboy could see Darry glancing at him every twenty seconds. He sighed and put his fork down. "Okay, what is it Darry?" Darry looked up in surprise and waited a while before he answered.

"Ponyboy, is it true about last night?" Pony continued to eat and nodded his head. Darry sighed...again. He clapsed his hands together and gathered his courage to tell Ponyboy what he was about to tell him next.

"Ponyboy, uh, remember when we went with the doctor a few weeks ago?" Ponyboy nodded. Darry looked at Sodapop for help but found none. He looked back at Ponyboy and said, "Ponyboy, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with you except that...," Darry paused to make sure that Ponyboy was listening, "you might...kinda be going...craz- uh, crazy."

Boy howdy! That sure got his attention. Ponyboy jerked back, as though he had been slapped, and caused his chocolate milk to spill. His fork dropped, and his mouth followed suite. He looked between Sodapop and Darry in disbelief.

"Its been weeks and you didn't think that i deserved to know that I'm mental! Darry, why didn't you tell me?" He turned to Sodapop. "Did you know about my being mental too?" Soda hesitantly nodded his head. Ponyboy threw his hands up in the air in frustration. He pushed out his chair and stomped to his room.

Soda looked at Darry and said, "Well that went 'well'." Darry glared in his direction and got up. Just as he did so, Ponyboy came out of his room with his backpack and was dressed for school. He made his way to the front door and opened it. Darry saw and yelled, "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going, Ponyboy?" Pony turned and glared at Darry for a few seconds then without a word walked out the door.

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Ponyboy had no intention of going to school that day. He couldn't believe that Darry and Sodapop had kept the fact that he's crazy a secret for as long as they had. He had a right to know if he was mental or not. Although he was pretty sure that he was mental. No normal or sane person sees their best friend's reflection in the mirror. Pony walked to the cemetery and found Dally's and Johnny's graves.

Ponyboy talked to Dallas's grave for a while then moved in front of Johnny's. He set down his backpack and sighed. "I know you're angry with me kid. Its my fault that you're dead. Man I sure screwed up. It shoulda been me that died that night at the fountain. You were supposed to live. And you woulda Johnny but you just had to go and stab that soc kid." Pony felt something wet on his face and realized that he was crying. He got up off the ground and wiped away his tears.

He wished he could follow Dallas's advice. _ You better wise up, man. You get tough like me and nothing can touch you man. _Ponyboy didn't know exactly how to follow his advice. Dallas was already tough when they had met. Pony assumed that Dallas had toughened up in jail. Ponyboy didn't find the idea of going to jail very appealing. Pony decided that he would go find Two-Bit instead. He almost never went to school these days. On his way to Two-Bit's house, he heard the sound of an engine. He turned around and saw a yellow mustang following him.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. Four socs spilled out of the car and surrounded him. He recognized one of the socs from the night that Bob died. He was there when it happened, he had been one of the socs that had tried to drown him. Ponyboy got tired of them circling him and he said, "What the hell do you guys want?"

One of the socs snarled and said, "You're a friend of that greaser who killed Bob that night. We don't like people who are his friends. All you guys deserve to die, Bob didn't. And for that you're gonna pay." The soc reached back into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade. Pony looked down at the blade and gulped. This wasn't gonna end well.

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**Hey guys! So how was that cliffhanger? Good? Shitty? Hope u guys liked it. I'm not very good at cliffhangers, at least that's what i always tell myself. Anyhoo... i finally updated. I decided to put this chapter up today cuz tomorrow I'm going on vacation to Nevada to go watch BoyzIIMen! And i won't be back til Wednesday next week. Hopefully when i get back I'll have the next chapter up. So like always please read and review. Til then...**

**STAY GOLD**


	4. AN

**Hello, to those who actually still read this. I know I haven't updated in a really really long time, but life is getting in the way and I haven't been able to write. My family decided that we can only use the computer for homework only, so I have to sneak it into my room and secretly use it. But sadly I don't have enough time to use it to write except for today.**

**Also, I have writer's block. I'm out of ideas for the next chapter of ****Nightmares****. So if you want to PM me or leave a review with an idea that would be awesome. So got to go now. Love you all! Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys. Know its been a really long time. Almost a year. I'm really sorry. But life got in the way. I know that's probably not a believable excuse but it's the only one I have. Anyway this chapter is gonna be really short, sorry to those of you who actually read this story, if you were expecting something better, I'm sorry to disappoint. And sorry if I get a few things wrong. I haven't read The Outsiders in forever. Well, here is chapter four.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. S.E. Hinton has that pleasure.**

"Ponboy, what the hell happened?" Darry cried. Darry shot up out of his recliner chair and hurried to Pony's side. Ponyboy waved him off and let himself fall onto the couch. Soda heard all the commotion and raced to the living room. He gasped when he saw his kid brother looking like he had lost a fight against a soc, which in fact he had.

Soda grabbed his face and turned it this way and that, examining what seemed every inch of it. "What happened, baby?" Ponyboy slapped his hand away, annoyed.

"Nothing happened," he mumbled. He hated being treated like a little kid and for the past few weeks that's exactly what his older brothers had been doing. He went into the kitchen and pulled a coke out of the fridge. He took a sip of it and went into his room. The whole time Soda and Darry had followed him.

"Now, don't you give me none of that. We know something happened. You look like a bunch of socs jumped you, Pony!"

"Well, that's exactly what happened, Darry. Some of Bob's buddies followed me to school and jumped me. But don't worry. I got out alright." Darry looked on at his baby brother with disbelief. He called _that _alright? He had several cut all up on his neck and face. He had bruises snaking up his arm and multipule wounds bleeding on his legs.

"Ponyboy, this isn't alright. You're far from fine. Just look at ya!" He gestured at him, up and down. Sodapop looked close to tears. Darry put his arm around his middle brother's shoulder and reassured him. Pony looked on with guilt. He didn't mean for his brothers to become upset.

"Look, guys, I promise I'll be more careful. I'll get Two-Bit to walk with me next time." They both nodded, convinced that Two-Bit Matthews would keep their baby brother safe.

XxXxX

As they were having dinner, they all heard the screen door open and slam shut. Two-Bit walked in with his ridiculous grin and greeted them all. He stumbled to the fridge and pulled out a plate of chocolate cake. Ponyboy couldn't help but smile. That kid practically lived off of chocolate cake and beer. He swore that's all he needed to live. 

"Hey, what happened to you, Pony? Get in a fight with some socs?" Two-Bit asked, jokingly. Ponyboy silently nodded. Two-Bit almost choked to death on a piece of chocolate cake. "Seriously?" He looked to Darry and Sodapop for conformation. Both nodded, both deadly serious. Two-Bit nodded and added, "Not bad, Pony, not bad." Darry slammed his hand on the table. Everyone jumped.

"Two-Bit, do not encourage this! If he seeks them out again, they may very well kill him next time!" The table was deadly silent. No one moved. You could've heard a pin drop in that silence. Two-Bit raised his hands in surrender. The rest of dinner went without talk.

XxXxX

"Ponyboy, hurry up! You've been in there for half an hour now." Sodapop pounded on the door again.

"Be right out," was Pony's response. A few minutes later, he came out.  
"Why the hell are you wearing a sweater? Its hot as hell in here." Soda asked. Ponyboy shrugged. _Silly kid, _Soda thought.

After a nice hot shower, Soda studied his reflection in the mirror. In the corner of his eye, he noticed something red on the floor. He bent down to check it out and saw it was a bloody tissue. _Pony probably got a bloody nose. _He fished around the drawer for some toothpaste and noticed that there was blood on a razor. He remembered Pony wearing a long sleeve jacket and his evasive behavior. He also remembered Pony holding his forearm. _Oh god, no Pony._

He grabbed the razor and bloody tissue and ran to find Darry. Soda bolted into Darrell's room and slammed it shut.

"Jesus, Soda! Learn to knock, will ya?" Darry exclaimed. When he saw Soda's face, he knew something was wrong. "What's wrong, Sodapop? What happened?" Soda showed him both bloody objects. Darry frowned.

Sodapop told his older brother everything that happened and added, "I don't think Pony's crazy, Darry, I think he's really depressed."

**A/N: How was that? I know it wasn't very much, but bear with me guys. I'll finish this eventually and Ponyboy will come out fine. Don't forget to leave a review. They let me know I'm not total crap at writing. Sorry if there is any OOCness. See y'all next chapter. Til then….Stay Gold.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh my gosh guys! Thanks to all of your wonderful reviews. I've never felt more loved. Don't worry guys. I don't plan on taking a year to update again, as that's what I'm doing right now. So thanks again for the reviews. You know by now that they keep me going. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Now on to Chapter 5. **

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to S.E. Hinton**

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Darry's look of horror scared Sodapop. Was the situation that bad? "What are we going to do?" whispered Soda, tears welling up in his eyes. Darry shrugged.

He put his arm around Soda's shoulder and said, "I don't know, kiddo."

* * *

When Ponyboy got back from school he was shocked to see that Steve, Soda, Darry and Two-Bit were all sitting in the living room, all of them looking somber. "What's with the serious faces guys?" None of them responded. Ponyboy was starting to get worried. The gang never got this serious unless something terrible happens. _Like what happened with Dally and Johnny, _Ponyboy thought. He pushed them out of his mind for the moment. Darry gestured for his baby brother to sit.

"Pony, we got to tell you something. This is very serious. Ponyboy, remember when we told you that you were 'crazy'?" Pony nodded slowly, not sure where this was headed. " Well you're not." He sighed in relief. He wasn't crazy after all. But his friends expressions still worried him.

"Then what's all this fuss about then?" Pony asked. Darry looked back at his friends. They all gave him a nod.

Darry took a deep breath and started to say, "Ponyboy, you have-"

"Situational depression!" Steve blurted out. Darry whirled around to face him. Steve flinched. Darry looked about two seconds from murdering Steve. Ponyboy snickered. Boy howdy, he'd sure hate to be in Steve's shoes right now.

Darry calmed down enough to say, "No, not situational depression. I prefer to call it 'adjustment disorder'." Ponyboy tried to process that.

"So its still depression...?"

Darry nodded. Ponyboy slowly. "And how do you figure this?"

"We found the razor, Pony. And a bloody tissue. And you won't go anywhere without that jacket anymore." Soda said. Pony froze. Sodapop walked over to the youngest Curtis and hugged him. "Why?"

_Why? _

_Because it was my fault Johnny died. It was my fault Dally died too. All that suffering that they both went through was my fault,_ Ponyboy thought. Of course he didn't tell his family that. Instead, he let Sodapop hug him for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he shook of his older brother and walked away to his room.

* * *

Later that night, when Sodapop walked in he heard Ponyboy mumbling something in his sleep. Soda was too tired to think much of it. He stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed. Half an hour later, Sodapop was on the edge of sleep when he heard Ponyboy cry out in his sleep. Sodapop bolted right up. He shook Pony's shoulders, trying to wake him, but to no avail. Darry stormed into the room. He rushed to his little brother's side and together they shouted Pony's name. Finally he woke. He had tears streaming down his face and clung to his brothers. Sobs wracked his body in waves. He trembled something fierce. Sodapop looked to the oldest Curtis brother and cried.

"What are we going to do?" Sodapop asked.

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**So how was that chapter? Don't forget to leave a review and let me know how it was. I live for reviews lol:) Next chapter might take a little longer to get up. I have finals and a ton of homework for school all next week. Sorry to disappoint guys. Sorry for any grammar/typo mistakes. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys thanks so much for the reviews. They mean a lot to me. Well, here's chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders.**

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"Ready to go home, Pony?" Two-Bit asked his younger friend. Ponyboy nodded and walked ahead of his friend. They walked in silence the whole way to the Curtis' home. As soon as the screen door slammed, they could both hear Darry yell, "Don't slam the door!" Two-Bit laughed and made his way to the kitchen. He dug around for chocolate cake and beer then went into the living room to watch reruns of Mickey Mouse.

Ponyboy went to his room to do homework, but soon fell asleep.

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_At first it was dark, then all of a sudden there was a burst of flames and Ponyboy saw his house was on fire. He ran around the house, looking for his brother and instead found Dallas and Johnny in the living room. Pony stopped short. _"How are you guys here? You died." _Then Ponyboy realized it was a dream. No, not a dream. A nightmare. _"It should have been you, Pony. It should have been you." _Johnny and Dally said at the same time. Ponyboy sobbed. _

"I know it should have been me, guys. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry!" _Dally and Johnny both rushed Ponyboy with their hands outstretched. They both wrapped their hands around Pony's neck and strangled him. Just as his lungs were about to give out, the dream ended._

* * *

Ponyboy gasped for air. He was covered in sweat and was trembling. Two-Bit rushed into the room yelling, "Ponyboy, are you okay?!" He stopped short when he was his younger friend was okay. He let out a relieved breath. He came and knelt next to Ponyboy and said, "Wanna talk about it?" Pony shook his head. Two-Bit didn't know what to do. None of the gang had ever witnessed Pony having a nightmare. Two-Bit hadn't either, but he _had _seen how it affected the youngest Curtis brother.

He gathered Pony in his arms and rocked him back and forth. Two-Bit could feel Ponyboy's tears soaking through his clothes. Darry had gone out to buy food to make dinner, so they were the only ones home.

Finally someone arrived. "Pony?" Two-Bit recognized Soda's anxious tone of voice.

"In here!"

He heard the sound of pounding feet and the sound of the door being opened. "Baby, what happened?" Soda asked. When his brother remained unresponsive, he turned to his greaser friend.

Two-Bit shrugged. "He had a nightmare." Sodapop's expression immediately turned sad. He took his baby brother into his own arms and soothed him.

* * *

That night, only Sodapop and Darry were sitting at the dinner table. while they ate, Darry asked where Ponyboy was.

"He's in his room," Soda said. "He had another nightmare." Darry sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Soda, I'm really worried about him. What are we going to do?"

"Maybe...you should get him professional help. I know Pony may not want it, but he needs it. He's never going to tell us what's bothering him. But he does need help. And we can't help him." Soda said.

Darry was quiet for a few minutes then spoke. "Fine, I'll make an appointment with the therapist for next week."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this summer, because tomorrow I'm moving out and we won't have any wifi. So I thought I'd update today. Also, this chapter is dedicated to Writer432. You've been an amazing friend, so I hope you like it; Anyways here's the next chapter of Nightmares.**

* * *

Ponyboy looked on at his brothers in disbelief. It had been a long day at school, and with track practice after school Ponyboy's energy had been drained from running two miles. He'd been hoping to come home and spending a silent afternoon alone, reading _Gone With the Wind_.

Instead, he was greeted with the sight of his brothers waiting for him in the living room. He didn't feeling like arguing with them that afternoon. He tried to make for his room, but Darry forced him to sit down and told him that they had made an appointment with the therapist. "You wanna take me to see a shrink?" Ponyboy cried in disbelief.

"If its the only way to get you to stop what you're doing to yourself then yes." Darry said. Pony scoffed.

"Well, good luck with getting me out of the house." With that he stormed off to his and Soda's room.

* * *

The morning of the appointment, Ponyboy refused to get out of bed. "Come on, Pone!" Darry yelled through the door. "Get outta bed."

"Make me!" came the muffled response through the door. Darry sighed and went to get Sodapop from the kitchen. "Come help me with the kid." They burst through the door, surprising Ponyboy. Darry and Soda each grabbed a foot and pulled Pony off the bed. Ponyboy let out a yelp as his head connected with the floor. They dragged him out to the kitchen, with Pony muttering a stream of curses the whole way.

"Hey! Lemme go!" he yelled. They let go of his legs and Ponyboy scrambled to his feet. He rubbed his head, where it had hit the floor. " You could'a found a nicer way to get me outta bed, ya know?" he mumbled. Soda tossed him an ice pack fresh from the freezer.

"Ice your head and eat up, kid." Darry put out a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and chocolate cake in front of Pony. Ponyboy forgot about the ice pack and dug into his breakfast. Ponyboy quickly finished his breakfast and went to get himself ready. He brushed his teeth, dressed in his usual white T-shirt, jeans, white converse and greased back his hear.

"Ready!" he hollered to Darry. Pony pulled on a leather jacket on the way out. He climbed in, slammed the door and buckled in. He waited impatiently for Darry to come to the car.

"Ponyboy," Darry began, "I know you're upset, hun, but don't take it out on the therapist. They just wanna help and if you let them, you might just find that this'll help you." Ponyboy snorted but said nothing. The car started and they sped out of the driveway.

* * *

Half an hour later, they arrived. Ponyboy had fallen asleep on the way. When he woke up, his eyes almost bugged out. He turned on Darry and said, "This is the South side! What the hell are we doin' here?"

Darry frowned. " Watch your language, kid. We're here cause they got the best doctors here." Ponyboy stuff his hands in his pockets and mumbled, "You know these people ain't gonna give a damn whether I'm fine or not. Besides, what if someone sees us?" Darry shrugged.

"It don't matter. Important thing is that my kid brother gets better. Ain't nothing else to worry 'bout." Ponyboy looked up at the building and thought, _Damn, they gotta be rich to build something this big._ It was five stories high and pure white, so it reflected the sun's light, acting like a mirror.

Ponyboy looked down at the floor as soon as they came into the lobby. "I'm here for Ponyboy Curtis's appointment." Darry told the receptionist lady. She gave them a smile and led them to their room. She opened the door and stepped back to let them in. "She'll be with you in a moment." Darry thank her.

Ponyboy looked around the room. The walls were painted a light shade of beige. There was desk by the back of the room stacked with piles of paper and files. A chair sat up against the wall and Darry went to sit in it. Next to it, in the corner, was an over-stuffed recliner chair. Sitting in the middle, was a box of tissues. Pony snorted. _They expect me to bawl while I tell them my whole life story? Not on your life,_ Ponyboy thought. He heard the door open.

He turned to see who had come in. He saw a woman who had short brown hair, and was wearing a plain blue blouse tucked into a skirt. She closed the door behind her. She looked vaguely familiar to him. He studied her face for a few seconds, then suddenly gasped. _Shit, I'm in trouble, _thought Ponyboy. It was Bob's mom, the same Bob Johnny had killed. And here she was. She gave him a smile. "Hello, Ponyboy. I'm Dr. Sheldon. But you can call me Helen, if you want. Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

**Alright, first of all, you may have noticed but I got all the chapter numbers screwed up, I even confused my self. So let's just say that this is chapter 8, okay, second, I know that was lame chapter, but I figured I'd give you guys something before I moved. Cause I have no idea when I'll be back. So let's just pretend that before the jumping and everything, Ponyboy had seen Bob's mom, very briefly, but long enough to still recognize her.**** Reviews, please? Encouragement always helps. And sorry about any typo/grammar mistakes. My English isn't perfect, still gotta work on it. Till next time,**

**Stay Gold;)**


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